Pocket package and container



Jan. 15 I924. 1,480,92

- J. 1'. wlLcox POCKET PACKAGE AND CONTAINER Fi-led March 7. 1921 2Sheetsheet 2 -Jan'f15 1924. 1 1,480,923

J. T. WILCOX POCKET PACKAGE AND CONTAINER Filed March '2. i921 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Qwumtoz fosjaivi. 745 5001, 351 711 5 mum/w,

of New Jersey,

packed Patented Jan. 15, 1924.

U N i E S T TES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSIAH T. WILCOK, OF WESTFIELD, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE TINDECORATING COMPANY OF BALTIMORE, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, A CORPORATIONOF NEW JERSEY.

POCKET PACKAGE AND CONTAINER.

Application filed March 7, 1921. Serial No. 450,236.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it know that I,'JOSIAH T. WILoox, a citizen of the United States, andresident of lVestfield, in the county of Union and State have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Pocket Packages and Containers,of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the packaging of tobacco, being particularlydirected to improvements in small packages of comminuted tobacco and inthe metal container therefor.

Tobacco of this type is now commonly in flat oblongmetal boxes adaptedto be slipped into thepocket of the user, and provided with a hingedcover at one end; The tobacco, before being placed in the box, isusually encased in a wrapper of tough, relatively impervious paper toform what may be termed an inner package so proportioned that it mayreadily he slipped into the flat metal container. The wrap er of theinner package is so arranged t at 155 when the hinged cover of thecontainer is opened. the end of the wrapper may readily be unfolded andthe tobacco poured out. It will be apparent, however, that in pouringtobacco from such a package into a pipe,

:au considerable care mustbe exercised to prevent waste.

A. principal object of my invention is to provide a package from whichtobacco may be more readily removed, particularly for filling a pipetherewith, without sacrificing the advantages in'man'ufacturing andhandling which have made the present type of package popular.- ingeneral I accomplish this object by forming a relatively large openingin one of the major side faces of the container, with a cover which-canreadily be removed, exposing a large area of tobacco and permitting apipe to be filled directly from the package.

Another importantobject of my invention is to provide a container havinga large side opening and which may be readily and rapidly assembledabout the inner package. In the preferred form I also arrange thecontainer parts so as to compress the inner package slightly when thecontainer is assembled, insuring a package of minimum size for a givenquantity of tobacco; or conversely, increasing the amount of tobaccowhich may be packed in a package of fixed size. This compression isespecially valuable in pocket size containers, where the size of thepackage is necessarily somewhat limited; and it also attains the furtherobject of holding the paper wrapper securely in place and pressing thewrapper folds tightly together, thereby improving the effectiveness ofthe wrapper in protecting and preserving tobacco.

Furthermore, metal container the inner package must be sufiicientlysmall to slip into the container end without undue compression, to avoidtearing the paper when forced past the box edges. Anotherobject of myinvention is to eliminate this restriction by altering the generalarrangement of the container parts, and incidentally the method ofpacking the tobacco in the container.

In the preferred form disclosed, I have also improved the preservativeefliciency of the packageby so arranging the metal container and theinner wrapper that no folds of the latter are located directly beneaththe container opening; but obviously my broad invention is notrestricted to this arrange ment.

My invention also includes an improved method of packing tobacco, inwhich the inner package is placed between two complementary halves ofthe metal container, the marginal portions of the halves beingthereafter connected to each other to form the completed package,

Other objects and advantages of my in vention will be apparent from thefollowing description, taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a package with the container coveropen and the underlying wrapper torn away exposing the tobacco.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal median section of the package with coverclosed and. wrapper intact,

Figure 3 is a the same,

Figure 4 is an assembly view taken from one endof the package, thecontainer being shown in section, and

Figures 5 to 12 are views of the upper half of the container showingvarious modified forms of opening and cover therefor;

Figure 5 is a plan view and Figure 6 a longitudinal section of one form,

transverse median section of with the present type of equally applicableto containers of this kind in which the large side faces areapproximately flat, and to those in which such faces are transverselycurved toiproduce a package of reniform cross-section which may becomfortably carried in thehip pocket. In stead, however, of employing anopening at one end of the container 10, as is the general practice, Ihave provided a'dispensing opening 11 in one of the large side faces ofthe container, which will be herein referred to as the major-facesthereof. This opening 11 may vary substantially both in size and shape,so'long as it affords access to the tobacco over a substantial area; butit is desirable to employ an opening through which a pipe may be filleddirectly, as in the form illustrated.

Various types of cover for opening 11 may be employed, either sliding,hinged or entirely removable. One convenient construction is illustratedin Figures 1 to 1. This type of cover 12 is hinged to the container atone end by means of any suitable hinge connection 13, and is preferablyheld in closed position by a suitable latch which may consist of aninturned lip it on the cover 12 adapted to spring under the retainingedge 15 of opening 11. It is obviously desirable, though not necessary,to have the cover 12 spring at least part way open when the latch isreleased. The construction of'Figure 1 can readily be arranged tooperate in this way by forming the cover 12' of somewhat resilientmetal, and giving the cover a contour different from that of the boxtop,

so that the cover is distorted when it is latched in place. Uponpressing the container 10 adjacent edge 15, lip 14 may be released; andthe cover will spring upward owing to its immediate return to itsnormalcontour. This result is very readily obtained where a reniform containeris used, as the cover need only be made approximately; fiat to producethe desired opening effect.

'If desired, I may employ a narrow bead 16 in the container 10immediately adjacent the edge of cover 12 when closed, serving toreinforce-and stiffen the edge of the container about opening 11, andto:as'sure more accurate registration of the cover with the opening.

Said opening 11 is formed in what may be termed the upper major face 17of container 10; and for convenience in packing I construct thecontainer intwo sections, one including the top'major face 17, and theother the bottom major face 18. The sides and ends of the container arepreferably-formed from integral marginal extensions of one or both of.said faces, the construction illusjunction, nor is it limited to directconnection between the edges of the upper and lower faces.

lVhile the two sections may be constructed and connected indifferentways, I have disclosed a convenient and simple arrangementwhich is highly advantageous both from the standpoint of general utilityand thatof facility in manufacturing. According to this type ofconstruction, the upper and lower sections are each stamped out of asingle sheet of metal and are provided with flanged margins which can bereadily connected directly to each other, as by int-urning the margin ofone section over that of the other to produce a permanent seam. This isshown best in Figures 3 and 1, in which the outwardly turned lip 22 onthesaid flange 19 of the upper face 17 rests on lip 20 similarly formedon the marginal flange 19 of the bottom 18, the edge 21 of the latterbeing thereafter inturned over lip22 on they upper section to form theseam. This ty e of section can readily be stamped in-a sing eoperationby well known types of automatic;

machinery, and the parts can be seamed together by a single simpleoperation.

As heretofore indicated, one object .of my invention is to employ awrapped inner package in my side opening container.. In

such package, of the well known type produced by standard machinesin-almost universal use, the tobacco is enveloped in a single sheet 23of relatively tough paper with its edges overlapping at one side of thepackage, indicated at 24 in Figures 2 and 3. The ends of the wrapper arefolded over to form a tight closure, and are ordinarily counter sunk, asat 25, to maintain them in closed position while the inner package isbeing manipulated.

This inner wrapped package is placed between the container sections,which are closed over it until their edges are in position forengagement. They are then fixed in place, as by seaming the edgestogether, forming the completed package.

I prefer to locate the inner package in such position that the overlap24 of the package wrapper is at the opposite side from opening 11, sothat the wrapper will present beneath said opening a continuous,unbroken surface of the paper, insuring the most etlicient protection ofthe tobacco against dryness or undue moisture.

When the tobacco is desired for use, it is only necessary to open thecover 12 and tear away the portion of the wrapper 23 underly ing opening11, or such part thereof as is necessary or desired. The user then gainsaccess to the tobacco over a relatively large area, which not onlyincreases the rapidity and ease with which the tobacco may be extracted,but also facilitates the introduction of a pipe bowl into the opening,so that the bowl may be loaded directly from the con tainer. This methodof filling the pipe eliminates the scattering of tobacco incident to theemployment of former packages, and makes it comparatively easy todislodge tobacco which may have become caked or wedged in the container.After the wrapper is torn away the cover 12 will completely closeopening 11 and provide as much protection to the tobacco as is necessarythrough the relatively short period during which the package is inactive use.

WVhile I prefer to fill my improved container with an inner wrappedpackage of the type indicated, it will be apparent that such containermay be filled with loose to bacco, and also that various other types ofwrapper may be employed. Indeed, the

i wrapper 23 may not completely envelop the tobacco, as it performs asubstantial part of its function in the package if it is of sufficientsize to extend completely across the opening 11. With such aconstruction, it is conceivable that the wrapper might be pulled outthrough the opening 11 rather than torn away, though I prefer a packageof the type illustrated, in which the wrapper substantially envelope thetobacco and must be torn to expose it at opening 11..

It will be evident that opening 11 may vary very substantially both insize and general contour, dependent upon convenience of manufacture, theproduction of an attractive package, and adaptation to tobacc designedfor different uses, such as pipe smoking, cigarette rolling, chewing,snuff, or the like. The arrangement shown in Figure 1 has been foundespecially convenient, as the elongated opening facilitates greatly thefilling of a pipe therefrom, or the removal of the tobacco between thethumb and forefinger in substantial quantities. Futhermore, it providesdirect access to the greater portion of the tobacco. However, aperturesof various sizes and shapes, together with covers of different types,are shown in Figures 5 to 12, which simply illustrate some of thevarious forms of opening and covers therefor which may be employed.

In Figure 5 an oval opening of somewhat less extent than that of Figure1 is disclosed; but the cover 12 is pivoted at 26 to the upper containersection 17; and where a head 16 is employed, as inthe form illustrated,cover 12 is constructed to spring upward when the latch is released, asshown in dotted lines in Figure 6, so that said cover may swing sidewiseover the bead into the dotted line position of Figure 5.

The opening 11 of Figure 7 is rectangular in form, and is provided witha cover 12 slidably mounted in guide slots 27 which may be formedintegral with the upper section 17 at the sides of opening 11. Forconvenience, cover 12 may have a depression 28 therein which forms astop butting against the front and rear edges of opening 11 and anupturned rear edge 29 providing a finger grip.

In Figure 9 the opening 11 is arcuate, and cover 12 is pivotally mountedat 30 beneath the upper section 17 of the container, the curved outeredge 31 resting on and being guided by an inwardly projecting lip 32 atthe edge of opening 11. A curled finger grip 33 may also be employed,serving likewise as a stop abutting against the ends of opening 11.

The variation disclosed in Figures 11 and 12 employs a generally oblongopening 11, the outer portion 3 1 of which preferably extends down intoan end flange 19 of the upper section 17. The cover 12 hinged to thecontainer at 35, is provided with a lip 36 adapted to extend over and toclose the spout portion 3a of opening 11, and to engage a suitableretaining portion of the container, depression 37 being providedin theform disclosed for that purpose. For convenience in opening this type ofcover, the forward end thereof may be normally bent upward when notretained in flat position by engagement of lip 36 with the depression37. With this construction a moderate pressure on the middle of thecover 12 will release said lip from the depression and permit the coverto spring into the position shown in Figure 12, when it may be readilyswung back to expose the package contents.

Obviously numerous other types. of latch may be employed with this lastdescribed arrangement, which is particularly advantageous in that itprovides a depressed portion 34 from which the tobacco may readily bepoured. This is convenient when only a small quantity of tobacco isleft, and the spout effect of depression 34 will be accentuated when awrapper 23 is employed about the tobacco, as the edges of the wrapper 1torn away adjacent said depression will serve to guide tobacco in thegeneral manner of a spout.

hile other variations both in the type of cover and in the size andshape of the opening may obviously be used, I prefer to employ anopening of less extent than the upper face 17 of the container, so thatthe inner package will to a certain extent be confined therein, and willnot have a tendency to slip out or interfere with the extraction of thetobacco. lhis construction furthermore prevents most efl'ectually thesubstitution of or tampering with the tobacco in the container; and thisfeature is not found in the present type or package,

While I have disclosed the preferred form of my invention, and indicateda number of modifications thereof, it will be apparent that a great manyother changes and variations may be made without departing from thespirit otmy invention. Certain of these have been indicated in thecourse of the preceding description, and others will be apparent tothose skilled in the art 1 claim:

1. A pocket size metal container for tobacco, comprised of upper andlower sections each formed from a single sheet 01". metal and eachincluding a major side of the container, one of the sections having adispensing opening in said major side, a resilient cover attachedthereto at one side of the opening, latch means for holding the cover inclosed position, said cover being so formed that it will spring openupon release of the latch, and means permanently connecting the edges ofthe sections to form a shallow container entirely closed except for saidopening.

2. A pocket size metal container tobacco, comprised of upper and lowersec tions each formed from a single sheet of metal and each including amajor side of the container, one of the sections having a dispensingopening in said majorside, a resilient cover for said opening movablymounted on the container, latch means for holding the cover in position,said cover being so formed that it will spring open upon release of thelatch, one of the sections having marginal extensions forming at least aportion of the minor sides and ends of the container, and means forconnecting the margins of said sections to form a container completelyclosed except at said openings.

3. A pocket size metal container for tobacco, including a shallow bodyportion completely closed except for a dispensing opening in a majorside of the container of less extent than said side, a resilient coverfor said opening movably mounted on the container, latch means forholdingthe cover in position, the meeting surfaces of said cover andcontainer varying in contour so that the cover is distorted upon closingand will spring open upon release of said latcn.

l. A pocket size metal container for tohacco, comprised of upper andlower sections each formed from a single sheet of metal and eachincluding a major side of the container, the upper section having insaid major side a dispensing opening of less extent than said side, acover for said opening attached to and movable with respect to the uppersection, the margins of each or said sections being extended to formportions ot the minor sides and ends of said containenlhe edges of thesections being permanently connected by a seam to form a shallowcontainer completely closed except at said opening.

5. A tobacco package comprising a quantity of comminuted tobaccoenclosed in an inner wrapper of flexible sheet material constituting aninner package of moderate thickness in relation to its length andbreadth, the inner package being enclosed and compressed between twoshallow dished and relatively long andwide halves of a sheet metalcontainer, the container halresbeing permanently secured together by acrimped seam extending about the narrow edges of the container, onecontainer wall being provided with an opening admitting the insertion ofa pipe bowl for filling the same after the inner wrapper beneath theopening has been torn away, and a movable closure for the opening.

6. A pocket-size metal tobacco container comprising two complementarydished shallow and relatively long and wide container halves of sheetmetal, said halves being permanently secured together by a crimped seamextending about the narrow edges of the container, one container wallbeing provided with an opening admitting the insertion or" a pipe bowlfor filling the same, and a movable closure for the opening.

Signed at the city of Baltimore and State of Maryland, this 3rd day ofMarch, A.

JOSIAH T. l/VILCOX.

